Demons, Gods and Men
by Enshinari666
Summary: Squall has to die to gain a weapon that, potentially, could save the two worlds that are entertwined by the land of the gods. Who is behind the destruction of the fragile timespace binding it all together? FF7/FF8 Chapter 2 up!
1. Chapter 1

DISCLAIMER: No, I don't own Squaresoft's ideas, characters, slaves of said company, or Final Fantasy, etc...I mean Square-Enix. Whatever. Anyway, this is my first fanfiction. It should have some melodrama, some romance, horror, adventure, all mixed in together! Also known as standard fare in the FF series. :D I don't have it all thought out, forgot how to spell some names(ANGER!) and I might just stop when it get's good and start again for no reason(RE: WRITER'S BLOCK). But, enjoy anyway. And as they say...Read and Review:)

Demons, Gods and Men

Chapter One: Knocking on Death's Door

The sun's reflection sparkled upon a wide, blue lake at the bottom of a rocky gorge. The cliff facing the lake was smooth and marbled with swirls of pale reddish brown and soft grays, with an occassional hunk missing out of the face of the cliff. The top had a layer of top soil laced with moss and many boulders and small rocks, helping to support local trees at the very edge, where one misstep could spell death by a very long fall. Here, three figures can be seen, appearing to be holding their ground against an unseen enemy in the thick woods surrounding the area.

It was odd; the leader of the group thought earlier before the encounter, that so many powerful, aggressive monsters have been making appearances on such a peaceful island as Balamb. Not even on The Islands Closest to Heaven and Hell were the monsters so fierce, so terrifying to even a seasoned SeeD member. It all started last month, exactly a year after the defeat of the Sorceress Ultimecia. Soon after the rumored sightings, victims started to appear. Half eaten men, women and children had been found in the fields and woods of Balamb Island, compelling the Headmaster of the Balamb Garden to issue his finest mercenaries.

A rumble could be heard to the left of the leader, he braced and nodded to the woman next to him, on his left. The creature barged out to attack, claws flailing and tounge rolling in it's huge, gaping mouth. In an instant, the woman had her whip entangle the beast's jaw for a moment, just enough time for the girl on the man's side to shoot a lightning bolt of pure power, cackling with unrestrained energy down the creature's throat. The man ran towards it, aiming for the skull while it was in shock, but it recovered in time to see him coming. In an instant, the impaled beast and the unconcious mercenary were falling down the cliff and into the cool, crystal blue waters many feet below. The two women looked down, horror on their faces, the one in blue holding out her hand in a futile gesture.

"Squall!"

The mercenary half opened his eyes and looked toward the woman screaming his name. He reached his hand out, and, with the last of his strength, whispered her name:

"Rinoa..."

And then he could feel no more.


	2. Chapter 2

I don't think I need to disclaim again...?

Demons, Gods and Men

Chapter Two: When Death Answers

Squall didn't know how long he was out. All he can remember is a warm, green light, soothing his psyche and the comforting voices of people he didn't know, but seemed so familiar. He thought about what had happened just moments ago, his eyes shut. Or was hours? Days? Squall couldn't tell. A flashback of the fall entered his mind for an instant, making him wince as he remembered the last scene he saw.

Rinoa's horror-struck face.

_'...I'm dead...I'll never see her face again...'_

He attempted to sit up, where ever he was, and noticed that whatever he was pressing on was soft and warm...and moving. Squall's eyes snapped open, taking in his bizarre surroundings. Green energy mists raced about everywhere, coming from nowhere, and he sat upon a huge fox with bluish-silver fur. He looked around, and noticed it had nine tails, each with a firey blue orb at the tips.

"...What..."

A voice from the front of the fox greeted him, a soft, gentle voice, with a slight cheer to it. The fox was clearly female.

"You are awake already?"

Squall blinked, not quite sure if he should respond, but decided it was for the best. "Who are you?"

"My name is Kitsune, the Underworld messenger. I came to collect you."

"Collect me? Why me?"

Kitsune chuckled. "Because the Goddess of Hell requires you for a quest, and don't think for a moment that you have a choice, mortal."

Squall looked as best he could uncaring to the beast's words, but inside he was worried. What would a Goddess, and for that matter the Goddess of HELL need him for? Was this already fated, his death and then service to Infernal powers? Why had Hyne forsaken him, if this was so? Kitsune chuckled again, as if she knew what he was thinking, though this didn't make him feel any better. A knot formed in his gut as he thought about what awaited him.

"We are almost at the Gates. Get ready."

The green mists started to fade, and red ground could be seen under Kitsune's paws. The mists turned white, and Squall had to strain to see in front of him. From what he could see, the landscape was rather desolate and flat. His hair, somewhat longer than in the past, blew around his face, obscuring his vision a little. In front of him loomed the silhouette of a wall with what looked like a gate, and a massive figure with three heads Squall recognized instantly. Cerberus. A feral, hungry voice met his ears, one he remembered from several years ago, sending the hairs on the back of his neck on end.

"Mortal...We meet again..."

A large red spaceship and a group of people had gathered at the base of the cliff, where Squall Leonheart was last seen. The corpse of a half-liquefied monster caused by the fall, was at the edge of the pure lake waters, infecting it with it's black blood. A small trail of red blood led away from the monster, and by the looks on the would-be rescuer's faces it was a grim discovery. Rinoa stood by a group of her friends, hoping for the best but expecting the worst. It had been several hours already, and no corpse had been recovered. Maybe he survived? What if another monster ate his body? Or someone took it? The possibilities ran through her mind, her face in a worried frown. A soft hand was put upon her shoulder, the owner being Ellone, Squall's "sister". Rinoa turned her head to look at Ellone, who had the same worried look on her face.

"Rinoa, Quistis told me what happened...Is there any...?" Ellone stopped in mid-sentence, unable to continue speaking.

Rinoa looked down at her feet, she couldn't look at Ellone straight in the eye after what had happened. "No, they didn't find anything, yet." She looked up and towards the lake, and pointed towards the small trail of red blood, where a diver was about to go into the depths to find what he could, if anything. "That's all they have to work with."

Ellone stared at the spot, wondering if he could have escaped some how, she was terrified to use her powers because of what she might see. "Do you think he escaped into the woods?"

Rinoa shook her head. "I don't know. The trail doesn't lead to the shore, unless that part dispersed in the water...Maybe."

The diver's head popped out of the water, and bobbed up and down a little before he swam a few strokes towards the shore. In his hand was the Lionhart, Squall's favorite gunsword. Rinoa gasped when he took it out of the water, recognizing it instantly. Ellone also knew what the object was, and knew how dear it was to her "brother". Was he dead? Obviously the diver had not found a body, so there was a small glimmer of hope for him. The diver seemed to be discussing something with the Headmaster of Balamb Garden, Cid, who was shaking his head sadly. This was not good.

"Well, Mortal, are you ready?" Three sneering faces stared at Squall.

Squall said nothing.

The three headed dog growled. "Cocky little child. You should get yours, soon enough!"

Kitsune stomped a black-furred paw. "Mind your manners, Cerberus. Our Goddess has called him to Pandaemonium."

"Pandaemonium? What does she need him for?"

"I am not allowed to say, but I may say that it is important."

Cerberus looked at her for a moment, and stepped aside to allow the iron gates to open. The gate creaked and moaned as it slowly opened up the way to the underworld. Kitsune walked in, and started to slowly accelerate on the barely noticable dirt road. The scenery didn't change much for a while with the notable exception of dispersing fog, but as soon as they reached the horizon, or what had looked like one, the terrain changed noticibly, to Squall's awe.

The sky, while it remained a rusty red color with white and butterscotch colored clouds, the land was covered in trees and and grasses of all shapes and sizes. The true horizon was littered with purplish mountains, and near the center of the scene was a mountain with what seemed to be a castle fused to it on the top. What looked like a sun was setting towards the west, though it was a little bit weaker than the sun that beat upon his world.

"This is Hell? It looks like another planet..."

"What, are you not impressed? This is the Land of the Dead."

"I uh, I just didn't expect it to look so..." Squall scratched the side of his head and blinked.

"Pleasant?" Kitsune cocked her head slightly.

"Yeah."

"Well, the entrance looks so barren because that was the original state of Hell,"Kitsune said. "and I believe Cerberus has some sort of issue with you so of course he is not going to be very nice to you in particular."

"My friends and I beat him in a fight some years ago. He became one of our Guardian Forces..."

Kitsune looked towards him and raised a brow. A small smile was seen along her lips. "Oh. No wonder. He's a very prideful being, you see. While he did not expect anyone to even challange him, Cerberus thought it impossible that he would become someones Guardian Force. Unlike other gods, he wouldn't do that willingly."

Squall lowered his brow and frowned. "...Gods? Are you saying our GFs are gods?"

Kitsune nodded. "Yes, most of them willingly. A god doesn't become a Guardian Force unless they were willing to become one, or were defeated, though the more powerful gods use Avatars to even out the playing field."

Before Squall could ask more questions, though, Kitsune went full speed down the road towards the mountain castle, where the Goddess of Hell awaited him. Perhaps, Squall thought, this wasn't going to be as bad as he thought.


End file.
